GalGunvolt
by Zero Phantasm
Summary: [Crossover With GalGun: Double Peace] After so much time fighting for peace between adepts and humans, it seems as though it's finally been realized, and Gunvolt can finally catch a break... At least, until an Angel appeared before him. Watch as our favorite Run-n-Gun Bug zapper deals with angel magic, shenanigans, and the return of two childhood friends from his past.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: So, I know my little announcement thing promised updates and a Mega Man ZX/Metal Slug crossover, but… I got to talking with a friend of mine, and this batshit insane idea came to be a subject of discussion. And as a result… I got stupidly motivated to write this. Especially after making some…** _ **interesting**_ **lore discoveries between the two series involved in this crossover. So, without further delay….**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Azure Striker Gunvolt nor Gal*Gun. Both series actually belong to Inti Creates! … Which is part of why I made this crossover.**

* * *

It was an average early morning in the city… The sun was beginning to rise on the horizon, shops were opening one by one after preparing for the customers they would face throughout the day, and people were getting their morning routines all taken care of. All in all, it really seemed to be shaping up to be a completely average day.

For one young man no older than 18, however… His day had yet to truly begin.

 _"GV… It's time to get up, GV…"_

Long blonde hair splayed out underneath his sleeping form, the young man's face was scrunched up in discomfort as he shifted positions. A light sweat formed on his forehead and he seemingly struggled to either stay asleep, or try to wake up.

 _"Please, wake up, GV..! Please wake up..! GV!"_

Finally, the young man's blue eyes snapped open as he bolted into a sitting position, alarm clear in his expression as he called out a single name...

"Joule!"

… And get silence in return, from a completely empty room-save for himself. What felt like an eternity-which in reality was just a few moments-passed before the cold truth sunk in for the Adept known as Gunvolt… And not for the first time. A grimace crossed his features as he cast the blanket from his body.

"It's been two years since _then_ , and I'm still getting those dreams…" The blonde muttered despondently as he got out of bed. Stretching to get a few kinks out of his joints, Gunvolt allowed himself a bit of a yawn before making his way towards the bathroom to freshen up.

As he stood in front of the mirror to brush his hair out, the Adept couldn't help but reminisce over the events that had transpired over the past few years. All starting with that fateful mission from when he still worked with QUILL…

Throughout all of his battles since that day, Gunvolt had always kept a single memory in mind: The two friends he had before Sumeragi had taken him in for experimentation. The thought of ever facing the two of them with bloodstained hands had honestly repulsed him to no end, leading to him making a first when it came to mission records for QUILL: A 0% Fatality record.

That's right: No matter what, Gunvolt could never bring himself to kill anyone, regardless of whether they were a target or not. And this philosophy had brought some…. _Interesting_ changes to the Armed Blue's life…

"Gunvolt, breakfast is ready! Can you please tell Merak to come down?" Came a voice-definitively feminine-from downstairs, right as the blonde adept finished brushing and binding his hair into its usual braided ponytail. Shaking his head a bit, Gunvolt began to make his way to the specified room.

"Sure thing, Ouka! I'll be down right after." He called back to the owner of the house, before turning to face the door leading to Merak's room… Only to pause for a moment while reaching for the doorknob.

'It's kind of strange…' He thought, 'Back then, he and the others were a part of Sumeragi and trying so desperately to take Joule back, all for some plan to brainwash all Adepts in the name of _peace_ … And now…' Shaking his head a bit, Gunvolt opened the door, and had to take a moment to re-process the sight that laid before him:

The more than reasonably-sized room that had been given to the brunette known as Merak had been filled with various computers and devices that the actual walking space in the room was barely greater than a closet's. And asleep on the sole futon off to the side-in a rather lazy-looking position, no less-was Merak himself, clad in a simple white t-shirt and black shorts clearly meant for sleeping in.

'I'm still amazed that he can sleep in here like that…' Gunvolt silently remarked, before shrugging and focusing a bit of his septimal power into his right hand. Admittedly, what he was about to do was something he enjoyed a little more than he probably should…

"Time to wake up, Merak. Breakfast is ready."

 _Zap!_

"Gah! I'm up, I'm up dammit! Geez…"

Rubbing his back tenderly, Merak shot a mild glare at Gunvolt, who insisted on looking away not-so-innocently. Despite this, though, there was no real malice behind either of their actions. It was something that had become a routine in the household. A necessity to prevent the lazy Adept from sleeping in until the late hours of the afternoon. Something that even Merak himself admitted was bound to happen if someone didn't come and kick his behind into gear.

And as much as he enjoyed sleeping, Ouka's cooking had become something he enjoyed a bit more.

The brown-haired ex-Sumeragi Adept hadn't changed in appearance too much since Gunvolt's battle against Sumeragi, having only grown an inch or two in height and letting his hair grow out to his shoulders. He had also let it straighten out from its previously bedhead-ish style, but still kept the bangs in a way that covered one of his eyes. Why the lazy youth insisted on wearing his hair like that, Gunvolt would never know, and felt it wasn't really his place to ask nor judge, either.

Shaking his head lightly, Gunvolt allowed himself a slight smile as he turned to leave the room and head downstairs. Once he was in the kitchen, he immediately took a seat at the table, across from the _other other_ resident of the house besides himself and Ouka.

"G-good morning, Gunvolt… Did you s-sleep well…?" Came the timid voice of Elise, her violet eyes looking at him curiously as she sat there, the handheld game in her grasp apparently paused for the sake of conversation.

Over the years since the fight against Sumeragi, Elise had changed much more than her former colleague, growing to a height that put her a full head and a half over Gunvolt, while her long, white hair had grown to stay long enough to reach the small of her back. Though, as Merak had pointed out on more than one occasion… The biggest change to her appearance was her bust, having grown to a surprising 91cm… Much to the timid girl's chagrin.

Hence why she tended to opt for plain baggy shirts and pants: An attempt to hide her figure from leering gazes.

"I slept… Okay, I guess." Gunvolt half-lied. Up until he had started having _those_ dreams again, his sleep had been rather restful. "How about you, Elise?"

Before the white-haired girl could answer, there was a subtle _shift_ in her demeanor, before a confident yet sultry smirk played across her lips. GV had to suppress a groan at this. It was too early to deal with _her_!

"Oh? Has our little _biribiri_ finally come to realize who his Queen is, and started taking his duties seriously~?" She asked, her tone entirely different from what it had been mere moments before. Gunvolt merely sighed.

'Another former Sumeragi Adept… Elise is someone I can sympathize with more than I can with Merak, but… Her other personality is a handful…' Gunvolt mused, before sighing and shooting Elise-or as her 'dominative' personality was nicknamed, "Eri"-a look that sent a slight shiver down her spine, yet didn't make the smirk leave her features.

"Don't call me _biribiri._ And do I need to remind you of what happens when you try this during breakfast time?" Now THAT actually got Eri to freeze up and actually visibly _pale._ She remembered what happened last time, and doubted she would ever forget.

Despite not being an adept, Ouka could be… downright _terrifying_ at times.

Quickly letting control shift back to Elise-who shot Gunvolt an apologetic smile before returning to her game-Eri retreated to the recesses of their shared consciousness just in time for a loud knock at the door to ring out throughout the house.

Raising an eyebrow in confusion and wondering just who could be knocking this early in the morning, Gunvolt rose from his seat and began to make his way to the door.

"I'll get it!" He called back, getting an appreciative "Okay!" from Ouka-still in the kitchen, he presumed-just as he came to a stop at the door. Opening it, however, treated him to an unexpected sight: Namely, his former colleague, Moniqa, who seemed rather frustrated and her nerves frayed.

"Gunvolt! It's about time I found yo-" The brunette paused in mid-sentence as she actually got a good look at the blonde adept in front of her, her thought processes coming to a grinding halt as she tried to connect the image she had of Gunvolt with what she was seeing now.

Height-wise, Gunvolt hadn't grown much-if at all. Unsurprising, considering how mature he had looked for his age back in his days in QUILL. His hair was still mostly the same-though there was a slight gradient shift to a pale blue at the end of his braided ponytail-but that was where the similarities to her mental image ended.

While he hadn't grown in height, Gunvolt had definitely become less wiry, his frame having developed more lean muscle that was clearly meant for use rather than show. His outfit-as opposed to his almost-always battle ready attire set-was shockingly casual, consisting of a white shirt with blue sleeves, and regular jeans. And the look in his eyes… While there was a clear 'emotional weight' that seemed to hold the blonde down in some regards, he was much more… Calm. Relaxed, even!

It took Moniqa a few moments to process it all, while Gunvolt stood there, staring at his former co-worker curiously.

"Moniqa? What're you doing here so early in the morning?" He asked hesitantly. The Adept had a slight suspicion as to what this visit was about, but it never hurt to make sure.

Shaking her head a bit, Moniqa's expression soon settled into a sharp glare, almost immediately confirming Gunvolt's suspicion.

"There's a very good reason I'm here, Gunvolt, and you _know_ it! Asimov has been keeping quiet about what happened on that damned Elevator this entire time, and tracking you down has been so difficult that I wanted to tear my hair out! So you better tell me just what happ-" Anything further she was going to say was cut off by Gunvolt simply shutting the door in her face and locking it.

Silence reigned for all of five seconds, before...

"GUNVOLT! OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW AND TELL ME JUST WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!" Moniqa yelled, already resorting to banging on the door repeatedly with all her might. A process that lasted for a full two minutes, before a single metal saw blade embedded itself into the ground at her feet, having been thrown from the next house over.

"Hey, you damn noisy skank! Shut the fuck up and get lost before I REALLY get angry and decide to _not_ miss the next one!" The person who clearly launched the deadly projectile exclaimed, sticking half their body out of the sole open window next door.

The person in question was a young woman with semi-short reddish-brown hair with mirroring white streaks in the front, and what one could guess to be a permanent scowl on her lips. Her amber-colored eyes were narrowed into a fierce glare that sent shivers down Moniqa's spine. It was clear that this girl was fully intent on following through with her threat, too…

Deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, the brown-haired QUILL agent took her leave, causing the young woman known as Gibril to give a satisfied smirk before returning to what she had been doing previously… Namely, stretches that were supposedly designed to help one grow taller.

Back with Gunvolt, the blonde adept allowed himself a sigh of relief as he heard Moniqa's demands finally stop, before making his way back to the table. 'Just in time', he idly noted, as he spotted Merak finally sitting down as well, and the house's owner-Ouka-finishing setting everyone's respective plates on the table.

Out of everyone in the household, Ouka had changed the least over the years, with her hair being slightly longer and the white wing-like hairclips she wore having been substituted for blue ones that seemed to bear more resemblance to butterfly wings. Beyond that, however, she still wore her usual outfit of a white shirt with a black tie, matching shorts, and a black-accented pink sleeveless jacket with gold accessories and a waist cape.

"Who was at the door, Gunvolt?" She asked, genuinely curious about the cause for all the racket she had heard while finishing up breakfast for everyone. She had heard bits and pieces, but not enough to get a clear idea of what the person at the door wanted. Gunvolt merely shook his head as he retook his seat at the table.

"It was a former co-worker from my time in QUILL. She wanted to ask me about something that… I'm still not ready to talk about, to be honest." GV admitted with a slight grimace. Asimov's hidden agenda and betrayal _still_ stung a good bit. The man had been close to being like an older brother or father figure for the blonde, so what had transpired on that day…

'No… Best to not dwell on it now.' Taking a deep breath and allowing himself a smile as the 'unorthodox family' he had managed to gain began to enjoy the breakfast prepared by Ouka, who merely gave the blond adept an understanding smile and nod...

* * *

After breakfast was done and the dishes had been taken care of, the members of the household broke off to do their own things: Ouka opting to do some reading, with Elise joining her… Merak heading back up to his room to surf the web and most likely play some games. As for Gunvolt?

He opted to go for a jog. It was something of a routine thing for him these days, helping him keep in shape should trouble ever arise again, and it helped him clear his mind after nights where he had _that_ dream. A small, relaxed smile was on the adept's features as he jogged…

… Completely unaware that he was being watched from above.

"So, this is the target this time, huh?" The observer-clearly female, based on her voice-asked herself, looking at what seemed to be a smartphone in her hands. "Hm… His name's listed as Gunvolt? Odd… Well, it's clear he's never been in a relationship, though…" A pause, followed by a light gasp.

"Oh, oh dear… That is quite tragic..." The observer-whose medium-length blue hair was tied into twin ponytails in the back-muttered, before pocketing her phone and producing twin pistol-like devices in a flourish of light.

"But don't worry… Because this Elite Angel is about to make you _very_ happy." She said confidently, her blue eyes agleam with determination. "I've been practicing like crazy, and have never missed a single shot!"

However, as the mysterious girl with a pink halo and matching pink wings floating behind her took aim, something caught her attention. Something that had her somewhat alarmed.

"Eh? Is that… a Demon Academy student?" Indeed, standing behind a sign that Gunvolt had just passed while slowing his pace to a casual walk was a young-looking girl with bright red hair with twin horns growing out of it, and a spade-tipped tail growing out from under her white-accented black dress. Topping off the 'demon' vibe were the two small bat-like wings growing from her back.

"Is she after the same target as me..?" The observer wondered, before dispelling the twin pistols and pulling out her phone once more. Dialing a number on it real quick, she didn't have to wait long before someone answered.

"Hii hii~. You've reached the Goddess." Came the bubbly sounding voice from the other end of the line.

"Hello, this is Ekoro." The observer-now identified as Ekoro-replied curtly, a worried look still on her features.

"Ah, Ekoro-chan, how are you? Is your exam going well?" The Goddess asked, her tone showing that she was genuinely curious about how the apprentice angel was doing.

"I'm fine, but… A Demon Academy student has the same target as me. Aren't we supposed to set these exams up so that these things don't happen?" The blue-haired angel replied, concern evident in her tone of voice.

"Araa~, she's probably doing a make-up lesson. If a Demon Academy student is on the surface right now, then I'm almost certain it's for a make-up lesson." A beat. "Don't forget, Ekoro-chan, that if your score on this exam isn't good enough, you'll be taking one yourself this winter-" Anything further was cut off by the call being ended by Ekoro.

"Tch… Gotta' call me target before that demon girl does-eeeh?!" Turning her attention back to the area below, the apprentice angel was surprised to see the demon girl from before already brandishing her spear and ready to poke the unsuspecting Gunvolt with it. "She's already raring to go?!"

Panicking a bit, Ekoro quickly produced her twin pistols again and took aim. "Er, okay… Got my guns..! FIIIIIRE!" Pulling the triggers simultaneously, she expected an immediate fire… Only to be shocked as her guns instead began to gather energy into themselves.

"Wh-they're set to full power?! No-not good!"

What happened next from Gunvolt's perspective could only be described as "something out of left field", as one moment, he was just about to pick up his pace again, and the next…

"ARGH!" … He was hit with a bright pink blast of energy that actually managed to knock him unconscious, leaving him sprawled out on the sidewalk, face first on the pavement.

Silence reigned throughout the area as Ekoro watched-horrified-from the rooftop she stood upon.

"Ah…. I really screwed this one up…" Was all the angel could mutter, before shaking herself out of her stupor, and making her way down to greet the blond young man when he regained consciousness…

'At least that Demon Girl seems to have left…' Ekoro idly noted as she began to wait for Gunvolt to awaken so she could explain just what he would be going through.

… Entirely unaware of just how big her screw-up really was.

* * *

 **AN: I'm just going to go sit in the corner and think about what I've done here.**

 **In case it isn't obvious from an earlier part in this chapter, this fic is an AU where Gunvolt never killed any of the Adepts he fought in GV1 and GV2. Thus, some… Interesting… Changes have occurred over time. Some characters have also been aged up, such as Gunvolt himself and Gibril-who will make a fuller appearance in the next chapter-while others have remained the same as they would be canonically.**

 **That said, I'll see you all next time. Excuse me while I go commit sudoku.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: As I promised earlier in "Fox, Maid, and Swallow", my next update would be this chapter. So, in a surprise for you guys and to myself (Mostly myself!), here it is! Finished and Ret-2-Go! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Azure Striker Gunvolt nor Gal*Gun. They both belong to Inti Creates.**

* * *

When Gunvolt began to regain consciousness, the first thing he noticed was not that he was face first on the ground, nor was it the fact that his septimal energy felt… _agitated_ somehow… It was the pounding in his head. A headache comparable to the after effects of when he had taken a certain magnesis-controlling adept's punches head on in the past.

"Ugh… What the heck hit me..?" The blond adept muttered, pushing himself up to his knees and then to his feet… Only to waver and tumble forward as the world seemingly began to spin. "Guh… Wha…?" He managed to get out as nausea began to assault him and his senses seemingly scrambled.

Meanwhile, Ekoro looked on in genuine concern. While she _was_ only an apprentice, she was still an Angel, leaving her with a sense of empathy that bordered on outright telepathy. And what she was picking up from Gunvolt was definitely _not_ a normal reaction to being hit with an Angel Arrow… Charged or not.

"H-Hey, are you going to be alright..?" Ekoro half-wanted to kick herself for asking that, knowing how likely it was to be a stupid question, but she needed to make sure. After all, this was something she'd need to report to the Goddess.

After what felt like an eternity-but was roughly a minute in reality-Gunvolt finally felt as though he could get back to his feet and answer. So, with cautious yet shaky steps, the blonde Adept got to his feet once more, stabilizing himself by leaning against the nearby sign and taking a few deep breaths to settle his nerves.

"Y-yeah… I think…" He began, pushing away from the sign and taking one more deep breath once he was back fully on his feet, "What the hell was that..?" And _there_ was the question that Ekoro had been admittedly waiting for.

"Ah, yes! _Ahem_ … You see, the Angel Academy 3rd Year has a final exam in which the Goddess chooses a human, and helps them become a lot more attractive." At this point, Gunvolt felt a slight twitch of his eyebrow. While he wasn't vain by any stretch, there was a small part of him that was slightly irritated by how that was phrased. Regardless, he let the girl continue.

"Since I was assigned to you, I was supposed to shoot you with a love arrow… but…" Now Gunvolt had to suppress a groan. _Of course_ there was a "but'...

"... A demon interrupted me, and instead of the normal arrows, you got hit by a super powerful Charged Shot!" At this point, Gunvolt could've _sworn_ he heard someone in the distance yell "Oh no, not a charge shot!", but decided to not pay them any heed. Instead, he opted to ask the more pressing question…

"And just how powerful is a charge shot?" Something told the blond adept that only a headache awaited him with the answer.

"Erm… It's roughly equal to 32 normal arrows…" Yup. There was that headache.

"Okay, putting aside how definitively _bad_ that sounds, what exactly does this mean?" Not for the first time in his life, Gunvolt was thankful for Asimov's lessons on how to gather intel before acting.

"Well, right now, you're overflowing with an aura of fascination!" Ekoro began, gesturing with her arms for added effect. If not for his desire to learn more about the situation at hand, Gunvolt would've actually found the sight of it somewhat cute. "Any girl you cross paths with will assuredly fall madly in love with you!"

… What.

"I'm sorry, but run that by me again? I could've sworn I just heard something ripped straight out of one of those Eroge that Merak plays." Gunvolt replied, finally allowing his inner snarker surface a bit there, while simultaneously remembering the games that Merak had _somehow_ convinced him to play for the sake of discussion.

While it hadn't been a bad experience, per say… Ouka catching them in the middle of said discussion had been a painful misconception to correct. Especially when they had just been discussing their favorite female character archetypes...

"I said, any girl you cross paths with will fall madly in love with you! And once a confession is accepted, you and your significant other will receive an Angel's Blessing right then and there! But, uhm…" Oh, there was that headache returning with a vengeance…

"What now…?" He groaned out, already dreading what the blunette before him was going to say.

"... Because of the fact you were hit with a charge shot… All of your opportunities to find love in life have been packed into a single day. And once the power of the arrow runs out by sunset...You'll end up living a life entirely devoid of love of any kind. Friendly, Familial, Romantic… None of it!" The concern in Ekoro's voice would've touched Gunvolt's heart if it hadn't been her fault that he was in this situation to begin with.

"So, let me get this straight… I got chosen by some goddess to be made more attractive and get a better chance at finding love today?" He began.

"Yes."

"And you screwed it up by hitting me with a charged shot, which is equal to hitting me with 32 arrows instead of one?"

"Uuu… That's right…"

"And now, I have to find love today, or I'll never experience love for the rest of my life?"

"Correct."

A beat, before Gunvolt did the only thing he could think of doing right then:

He facepalmed.

"... I can't even tell if I should curse here, considering what I could tell Acura…" Let it be known that even Gunvolt could feel a bit spiteful from time to time.

"You shouldn't fear too much, though!" The angel pressed on, in spite of Gunvolt's obvious disdain with the situation. "I, the Elite Apprentice Angel Ekoro, will help you get through today and find your one true love!" The disbelieving look she received from the blonde adept actually caused her to deflate a bit. "W-what?"

"Pardon my lack of faith, but _you_ are the reason I'm in this mess to begin with." He began, before a new, decidedly female voice cut in.

"Hold it right there blondie!" Gunvolt blinked in surprise as he turned to face the owner of this new voice. It was a young woman around his age with light green eyes, straight black hair and a decent build. However, what really made her stand out was the pink nurse's uniform she was wearing, and the guitar case strapped to her back. A confident smile played on her lips as she stared the blonde adept down, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.

"You're that one adept some circles talk about… Gunvolt, right?" At his cautiously hesitant nod, her smile grew a bit. "Great! This may seem sudden, but… Would you be my boyfriend?" The girl asked, causing Gunvolt to stare blankly for a moment, before shooting a dirty look back to Ekoro.

"Mou… No fair, Suzu-chan. I spotted him first, so I should get to ask him that!" This new voice belonged to a full-figured young woman with short, wavy brown hair and violet eyes. Compared to her friend, her outfit was a bit more normal for the streets, consisting of a green jersey, a white shirt underneath, and a pair of jean shorts that hugged her hips quite nicely.

"Erm… I feel this would be a bad time to mention that girls drawn in by the power of the arrows will relentlessly pursue you and try to get you to return their feelings… Am I right on that front?" Ekoro asked timidly, earning a sigh from Gunvolt.

"Would've been nice to know sooner. So, just what can I do to avoid that? I don't think they're capable of withstanding my usual means of subduing pursuers…" Ekoro blinked in confusion at that, not quite catching on to what the blonde meant, before refocusing on the situation at hand.

"That's actually really easy, Gunvolt-sama! You should be able to see their weak points now, since the arrows have boosted your sight ability!" Gunvolt blinked in surprise as he noticed that he could actually see some kind of indicators on the two girls' bodies… Though he blushed faintly at _where_ those indicators were…

"Alright, so what do I do with these weak points?" He asked, not realizing the can of worms he was opening as the two girls before him focused on arguing with one another over who would 'get him'.

"You'll need to shoot them with the Pheromone Shot! Just look them in the eyes, take aim, and then shoot, shoot, shoot!" Ekoro answered, seemingly getting worked up over this development.

"Kh… That's a skeevy name for an attack, but if it's my only option…!" Gunvolt really didn't feel comfortable with what he was about to do, but… He focused his mind on the two girls before him, and…

"HYAN!"

"PYAU!"

* * *

"My, Gunvolt-sama, I didn't expect you to be so efficient with your shooting… Nor for it to be so potent..." Ekoro began as she hovered at the adept's side as he made a swift retreat from the scene, leaving the two girls on the ground, panting with dazed expressions on their faces.

"Ekoro, was it?" Gunvolt began, getting a nod of affirmation from the angel, "Let me ask you this: what exactly did the Pheromone Shot do to them just now?" He asked, his face a bright shade of red from the spectacle he had witnessed from the two after shooting them.

"That's quite simple! You filled them with ecstasy!" At THAT, Gunvolt stumbled in his stride and began to sputter in indignation.

"I _WHAT?!_ " At that point, Ekoro could've sworn that Gunvolt had achieved a full-body blush.

"Y-yeah… You subdued them by filling them with ecstacy. You didn't realize from their reactions?"

At that question, Gunvolt admittedly felt a bit silly. It _was_ kind of the obvious conclusion to have drawn. Especially after what he had seen after shooting the girls…

"So, Gunvolt-sama… Do you have anyone special in mind for who to confess to?" Ekoro asked as her companion regained his composure, an innocent expression on her face that was only betrayed by the prying curiosity agleam in her eyes.

"Actually… Not really. My life hasn't really allowed me to think about those kinds of things until just recently, and…" A pause as the blonde looked down, a melancholic smile crossing his features. "I'm sure they don't remember me now, anyways…"

"Huh? Who're 'they'?" The angel found herself asking, earning a surprising light chuckle from the blonde.

"Back before I was taken in and my life became what it is today… I had two childhood friends. They were sisters, and the three of us were inseparable." Gunvolt began, a distant look in his eyes. "They were like family to me, and looking back… I could honestly see myself growing to love them if it hadn't been for _that day..._ " At this point, Gunvolt trailed off, and it didn't seem like he was going to elaborate further.

Ekoro raised an eyebrow and was about to press for more information on what the blonde meant, when an explosion in the distance cut her off. Gunvolt's attention immediately snapped in the direction the explosion came from, before he took off running at a speed that Ekoro was momentarily shocked by, before she struggled to catch up.

"Wait up, Gunvolt-sama!" She cried out, flying as fast as she could to catch up to the lightning adept.

The sight that greeted the pair at the source of the explosion was an unsavory one: Two girls-one taller with long flowing black hair going down to her waist and blue eyes, and the other shorter with short black hair, red eyes, and an oni mask worn to one side of her head-were struggling against a trio of adepts-if the twisting vines, roaring flames, and icicle spears hovering about around them were any indication as to their status.

"W-what the heck?! Has this become a battle series all of a sudden?!" Ekoro exclaimed in shock, stunned by the sight of mere mortals wielding such powers. Gunvolt barely shot her a glance as he produced his signature tag gun from within the jersey he had worn for his jog.

"Earlier, Ekoro… You were confused by what I meant about how I usually subdued hostiles, right?" He began, showing his natural observational skill and idly taking note that these adepts were quite familiar: The same group that had tried to assault Ouka back when Cyan was still around… And by the looks of things, they were once more hopped up on "Boost Drug".

At Ekoro's nod, Gunvolt allowed himself a bit of a sigh before bracing himself. 'Gotta' make this quick… A prolonged battle risks those girls getting hurt in the crossfire.' With that thought in mind, Gunvolt took aim and fired a quick volley of three darts, taking the three adepts by surprise and tagging them each.

"This is what I meant, Ekoro." Gunvolt continued, before jumping up-higher than any normal human should, the angel noted-and allowing his septimal power surge forth and generate a sphere of pure electricity around his body… With three bolts lashing out and striking the rogue adepts.

The shockwaves generated by Gunvolt's raw septimal energy being unleashed and striking against the passive defenses of the three adepts were enough to force Ekoro to struggle to stay in place, all while marvelling at the sight that was unfolding before her.

'This… This can't be right! Humans shouldn't be able to wield powers like this!' However, as much as she tried to rationalize things… There was no denying what she was seeing firsthand.

"Guh?! What the hell?!" One of the rogue adepts-the one controlling the flames-began, snarling as he looked around, before finally looking up… Just in time for Gunvolt's shoe to plant firmly on his face for the blonde to spring off. "Gah, dammit! Get this prick!"

The ice user was the first to respond, launching a barrage of icicle spears at the blonde, who let the first one just _barely_ graze by him and give him just enough chance to push off and spin out of the way of the second and third. Quickly closing the distance between them, Gunvolt proceeded to sweep the thug off his feet with a low kick, before 'catching him' with a volleyball-sized sphere of lightning and a quick call of "Tei Ryu Gyoku!"

Needless to say, the poor sap didn't last long before falling unconscious from the electric shock.

"Look out!" The taller of the two girls cried out, watching on as the plant-controlling adept commanded the two vines to constrict into a spear-like formation and impale Gunvolt.

… Or at least try, for the very moment the spear touched Gunvolt's back, he vanished in a haze of sparks that were strangely shaped like feathers before he reappeared atop the vines, one hand held out as his septimal power surged to an even greater level than before.

" _Sacred sword agleam, Barbarous and bathed in blue, Cleaving right from wrong!_ _ **Spark Calibur!**_ " Swinging the hand outward, a large blade made of pure lightning lashed forward, striking the plant-controller dead on and knocking him out in one go.

At this point, the flame-controlling adept had shaken off his dizziness from being used as a springboard, and was absolutely furious. As evidenced by the fire around him going from a moderate blaze to a raging inferno.

"That's it! EVERYONE DIES!" He roared, before forcing the flames to coalesce into countless fireballs in the air around him, each primed and ready to strike everyone and everything in sight. Alas, it was not to be, as the blonde was two steps ahead.

" _Bolts of rebellion, A thunderous voice in his heart, Speaks of one true law!_ _ **Voltic Chain!**_ " With his incantation finished, Gunvolt watched calmly as numerous chains born from his septimal power erupted from the ground around him, piercing and dissipating each and every fireball in rapid succession… Before one final chain emerged and swiftly wrapped around the last standing thug and shocked him into unconsciousness.

Ekoro just hovered in place, gobsmacked by the spectacle that had just concluded before her very eyes. 'Perhaps… This may not be as simple a test as I thought it would be…' She thought idly, still trying to regain her bearings and sense of the situation at hand.

The two girls-on the other hand-were now incredibly wary… While they were saved from the seemingly hopeless situation they had been in, they also had no idea what their rescuer's motives were. So, when he began to approach, the taller one's response was somewhat understandable…

"Stay back, and keep your hands where we can see them!" She demanded, pointing her uzi at the blonde's head, forcing him to stop in his tracks and hold his hands up as instructed.

Unsurprisingly, this wasn't the first time an abrupt rescue turned out like this. And Gunvolt knew it wouldn't be the last. That didn't make it any less exasperating, however. Yet he knew that doing anything other than what was said would just make the situation worse.

"O-Onee-chan…" The shorter one began, looking to her apparent sister in concern. "Shouldn't we be more thankful that we were saved..?" She asked. A sentiment that actually touched Gunvolt a bit.

The older sister hesitated for a moment upon hearing her sibling speak up, before sighing and lowering her uzi. "You're right…" She began, before looking to Gunvolt sheepishly. "Sorry about that… Things have been pretty rough for us since we got to this city, so we've been a bit on edge. That encounter just now didn't help matters any." She explained, earning a nod of understanding from the blonde.

"I can understand. Those three tend to cause trouble around here, and I thought they had learned their lesson the last time I was around. Apparently, I was wrong." Gunvolt replied, but before anything further could be said, Ekoro hovered over to the trio, her gaze fixated on the adept of the three.

"That was amazing, GV-sama!" She began, stars in her eyes as she looked at Gunvolt in admiration. "I'm still not sure how you humans were able to do things like that, because I thought only angels and demons could control the elements and nature like that, but still! You were like a real hero, GV-sama!"

At that kind of praise Gunvolt couldn't help but feel a bit sheepish, but the two sisters froze upon seeing the angel-as well as hearing what she addressed the blonde as… And the elder of the two couldn't stop herself from asking.

"Wait. Did… Did that angel just call you GV..?" There was a clear trepidation in her voice as she spoke, almost afraid of what the answer would be. The younger of the two immediately caught on, however, and before anyone could stop her… She moved behind Gunvolt and swiftly tugged the white tie out of his braid and began to arrange his hair into a different style.

Gunvolt and Ekoro were both confused, but once the younger sister finished… It took everything the siblings had to _not_ cling onto the blonde out of joy. Joy for not just finding a familiar face, but also joy for finding the childhood friend they had missed so dearly.

"Yeah..?" Gunvolt answered hesitantly, confused by Ekoro's decision to start calling him by his nickname, as well as the sudden change in how his hair was styled. He knew something was up, but he couldn't place his finger on what… Nor why the two sisters seemed oddly familiar.

"GV… It's us. Shinobu and Maya Kamizono… Your childhood friends." The now identified Shinobu stated, placing one hand over her heart and giving the blonde a warm smile, while Maya instantly latched onto GV in a hug.

"Y-You're kidding… Shinobu-chan..? Maya-chan..?"

Ekoro merely watched from the sidelines, mildly surprised that she could be seen, but more interested in the scene that was unfolding before her.

 _'Maybe this isn't as hopeless a case as I thought earlier…'_

* * *

 **A/N: Yup. Yuuuup. I went there. Enjoy the cliffhanger, and until next time!**

 **Next Update: Burning Through The Ages**


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